Archive for February 27, 2014

The northwest of Italy is home to Nebbiolo, that amazing grape that is chameleon like: light yet sturdy, tannic yet graceful. This Saturday we’ll be sampling some incarnations of the grape along with some other varietals of the region.

2011 Conti Sertoli Salis, Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio IGT, Alpium $14 Chiavennasca is the local name for a clone of Nebbiolo grown almost exclusively in Lombardia. This opulent white is made by vinifying the grapes without skin contact during maceration (the skins are the part of the berries that impart color to the wine). The resulting wine retains the nobility of the Nebbiolo grape but is fresh and clean on the palate.

Pelissero, Le Natura Rosso, Barlet $1380% Barbera, 10% Nebbiolo, 10% DolcettoThe name “Barlet” indicates into the Langa dialect a small barrel with tap which the peasants used to bring with them as refreshment during the tiring hours spent in the country, the so-called “meals wine”. It is suitable for daily consumption and nice to enjoy at the “merende sinoire”, the Piedmont expression to indicate an evening snack. The fruit for the Le Nature all comes from the Lange region, home to some great structured Nebbiolos but the wine has no such aspirations. It aims to be merely delightful.

2011 Il Vino Dei Padre, Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato $18Evasio Sattanino established his wine estate “Il Vino dei Padri” at Monale, in Asti, with the aim of continuing the family tradition of wine-making, growing grapes in sunny old hillside vineyards, the name of the estate, literally translated, “The Wine of Fathers”. Their Ruche is a rare Piedmontese wine, with a striking personality. It has an intense bouquet, with floral and spicy notes, a dry flavor, and a harmonious and velvety finish.

2005 Dessilani, Fara Novarese, Carmino $28 80% Nebbiolo, 20% VespolinaFara is a small wine growing region in the northeast of Piedmont far removed from Barolo and Barbaresco. The whole region has only 54 acres of vineyards but produces some very distinct wines. Like a Barolo, Dessilani’s Carmino is aged for two years in barrel and 1 in bottle before release. The wine has good fruit, along with tobacco and tea notes and supple but sturdy structure.

Established in 1982, Montinore Estate is a family owned, 210-acre Demeter Certified Biodynamic and Stellar Certified Organic estate at the northern end of the Willamette Valley along the east-facing slope of the Coastal Range foothills. They make a wide variety of cooler climate whites and reds. This Saturday Katy Brown of Montinore will be with us to show off a sampling of their wines.

2012 Muller-Thurgau $15 This playful wine has hints of peach, quince, pear, apricot, gardenias and honeysuckle on the nose. The palate is rich with mouthwatering lime, honeydew melon, apricot and apple. It finishes clean with notes of grapefruit, pineapple and guava. A refreshing 11% alcohol by volume.

2012 Pinot Gris $14 This is a blend from seven different vineyard blocks, each giving something special to the final blend. Each block is fermented separately in stainless steel tanks and blended post fermentation to bring out the most amount of aromatics and a distinctive flavor profile.

2012 Almost Dry Riesling $13The Almost Dry offers a beautiful aroma of lime, fresh flowers and tangerine with hints of lilac. The palate has a spark of sweetness and elegant, almost silky fresh flavors of citrus accented with green apple. The finish brings a refreshing, palate-cleansing acidity with accents of lingering grapefruit and mineral flavors. It is only 11.6% alcohol by volume and 1.6% residual sugar.

2011 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir $25 This is Montinore’s Flagship wine and the commitment to the quality of this wine should not go unnoticed. More than one night Ben Thomas, the winemaker, hunkered down in the cellar and slept with the Pinots because he didn’t want to be too far away. The 100% French oak barrel program is unmistakable when you smell this wine. It is smoky-sweet, like a BBQ with hints of cola, root beer, stewed fruit, freshly turned chalky soil and blackberry jelly. The palate is reminiscent of a freshly rolled Dominican cigar, plums, forest floor and tobacco. The fine, smooth tannins and long finish round out the wine.

Rain or shine we pour wine. Since Mother Nature can’t make up it’s mind about whether to rain or since we will be doing a bit of a mashup tasting of Old World Meets New World. One from Italy just off the boat and one from Walla Walla just off the truck. Grab your bumbershoot and wander on over.

2010 Vaona Valpolicella ($11)40% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 25% Rondinella, 5% MolinaraVenetoVaona is a small family farm with ten hectares of vines in Valpolicella. Their Valpolicella is fresh and fruit forward with elegant notes of ripe raspberry, cherry, plum and clove. Was $14 now $1112% alcohol by volume

The French countryside produces an amazing amount of solid quality wines that, with the exception of certain much coveted plots, sell for amazingly reasonable prices. The flow is like a faucet and Madrona Wine Merchants is happy to tap into it. Stop by the shop this Saturday as we’ll be playing with the spigot and tasting some great wine. Come join us.

2012 Chateaux Martinot Bordeaux Blanc. $1450% Sauvignon Blanc, 50% SemillonMartinot is a 4th generation family winery in the town on Lugaignac. Their Blanc has rich aromas of citrus and green apple. The flavors are crisp but with good body.

2011 Moncontour, Jovly Chinon $14Cabernet FrancMoncontour is one of the oldest winery in the Loire Valley –The Château dates from the end of the 15th century. Their Chinon is completely Cabernet Franc, done in a modern style with ample fruit, ripe red fruit aromas and flavors of cassis, cherry, violets and cocoa.

2012 Domaine des Homs L’Amandier, Coteaux de Peyriac $151/3 Grenache, 1/3 Cinsault, 1/3 SyrahL’Amandier is a single vineyard surrounded by Almond trees that is organically farmed. The wine is made with native yeasts and no sulphites are added throughout the entire winemaking process. It is rich, soft and full of dark fruit flavors.

2010 Andrieux and fils Vaqueras Vieilles Vignes $2275% Grencahe, 20% Mourvedre, 5% SyrahFrom old vine vineyards and a great year, the Andrieux has beautiful violet scents and purple-plum filled aromas. The mouth has notes of cherry, black currant, hints of light spice, and touches of sandalwood. It is well rounded, smooth, and delivers a long silky finish.

It’s a little chilly in Seattle, but picture yourself on the Mediterranean, in Summer with the grape ripening in the sun and the breeze floating in off the sea. No we can’t send you there right now but on Saturday we can pour a little of it into your glass. Brave the Arctic blast and come taste some great wines form Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia.

2012 Colosi Bianco Sicillia $10 — SicilyInzolia, Catarratto, Grillo This 24 acre estate in Salina, a small island in the Eolian Archipelago, has volcanic soils ideal for vine cultivation. Their Bianco has aromas of flowers and vibrant fruit, round and generous fruit flavor and excellent length.

2009 Terredora di Paolo, Lacryma di Christi del Vesuvio, Rosso DOC $15 — CampaniaLacryma ChristiTerredora di Paolo focuses on rediscovering and restoring Campania’s ancient and native varietals such as Lacryma Christi. Legend is that Lucifer when cast from Heaven, desperately grabbed a piece of it with his fingernails as he fell and placed it on earth near the Gulf of Naples. Noticing the loss, the Lord wept, and where each of his tears fell the first vines grew on Earth. Whether or not that is its true origin, the wine has intense fruit aromas of cherry, raspberry, black currant and spicy overtones with hints of minerals and cloves. The flavor is soft and elegant, with pleasant tones of mature red fruits, plums and hints of tobacco, coffee and ground pepper.

2010 Feudo di Santa Tresa Frappato $15 — SicilyLying close to the Mediterranean, Feudo di Santa Tresa’s vineyards benefit from cooling sea breezes. Frappato is a native Sicilian varietal that has a thin skin and large berries. It is a lively, fruit-forward wine when vinified on its own. The wine has fresh aromas with lots of red berries and delicate sweet spices, a smooth lively acidity, with a spicy, long-lasting after taste.

2011 Nuraghe Crabioni Cannonau $19 — SardiniaNuraghe Crabioni is an 85-acre property is located in Sorso, Sardegna where Cannonau is the local variety of Grenche.. The wine has sweet notes of ripe red fruit reminiscent of Maraschino cherries under spirits; lightly spiced persistent aromas; balanced with developed structure and nuanced layers that can be attributed to its rich terroir.

2009 Azienda Agricola Cos, Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG $32 — SicilyFrappato 40%, Nero d’Avola 60%A group of friends Giambattista Cilia (C), Giusto Occhipinti (O) and Pinuccia Strano (S) began making wine together renting their parents’ lands and harvesting, pressing the grapes, and making innovative wine and their reputations started to grow. Their Cerasuolo di Vittoria has aromas of dried cherry, chocolate, smoke, herb and licorice It has dried cherry, truffle and smoky flavors in the mouth and a long finish.

We don’t sell no stinkin’ bull wine – but we’ve bird wine in stock for you today.

2009 Kestrel Sangiovese ($20)The vines are fan trained to spread the fruit out and improves exposure to sun, with only one bud per spur, and one cluster per shoot, reducing the yield At crush they draw off about 20% of the juice, this intensifies the color and flavors of the remaining wine by increasing the skin to juice ratio, making it darker and richer in body and structure. A good Wshington Sangi.